Penn Brewery Märzen

May 1, 2004Pittsburgh, PA

Reviewers: Charles Finkel

Pennsylvania Brewing Co.
Pittsburgh, PA

Available: PA

This German-style fest beer is brewed using decoction mashing and in strict compliance with the Reinheitsgebot. Ingredients include 2-row and caramel malt, and Hallertau Perle and Hallertau Hallertau Tradition hops.

With a label this bad, the beer had better be good—it is. A bright reddish-brown robe is even deeper than most of its Germanic counterparts. The nose is malty with a satisfying sweetness. The malt follows through on the palate, though its fruitiness is mitigated with a measure of fresh floral hops, making it an ideal beer for lusty food. We served it with rare-grilled grass-fed eye of round, parsnip chips and pretzels.- Charles Finkel

Full malt aroma and creamy head are a preview to the satisfying real, honest-to-goodness character of the best of the best Oktoberfest/Märzen-style beers being brewed anywhere in the world. Hop flavor and character is right on and extremely well balanced. Great color, foam, body, flavor, aroma, etc., etc. This is probably the kind of beer they served at Munich’s Oktoberfest 25 years ago. Worth your lager attention!- Charlie Papazian

A deep bronze color with a rich head of foam, the beer has the characteristic aroma of a Munich March beer: burnt fruit, floral hops and a bready, yeasty note. Sweet, toasted malt dominates the mouth, but is well balanced by tart fruit and tangy hops. The finish is long, lingering, bitter-sweet with juicy malt, fruit and a big underpinning of hop resins. A wonderfully refreshing and complex beer, the ideal companion for rich tasting Bavarian pork and dumplings or wurst.- Roger Protz

Charles FinkelFounder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.

Charlie PapazianAuthor of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com, Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.

Roger ProtzRoger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.